The Witch of Tophet County

If you were a witch, what would your familiar be and why?

During the course of the book, the witch finds the family she never had in Magnolia, Hank, and the Dread Lord of Human Resources. Chad, on the other hand, was there for her all along–being her friend even when she didn’t recognize it. Have you ever taken a loyal friend for granted? Have you ever been that loyal friend?

Do you see parallels between the way the witch grew and changed over the course of the novel, and the way the Dread Lord of Human Resources grew and changed? In what ways were their journeys different?

Have you ever wanted to be fired from a job? What did you do?

Like the Archons, people sometimes do terrible things–not because they are terrible people, but because they’re deeply wounded or afraid. What does forgiveness look like in situations like that?

What does it really mean to be a monster?

The witch triggered Heather’s meteoric rise to power, but Heather took that opportunity and ran with it. Heather was always a strong and
capable leader, but society never viewed her that way because she was a homemaker with a direct sales job. Has anyone ever given you an opportunity to break out of the role society put you in?

It’s fun to lampoon MLMs, but Heather points out that one of the major reasons people mock them is that most participants are women who don’t otherwise work outside the home. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Vera was the witch’s magical mentor (and, as the ending reveals, so much more), but she never fixed the witch’s problems for her or gave any direct answers about how to fix things. She equipped the witch with the tools she needed and left her to do the work on her own. Do you think this is a good way to mentor? Why or why not?

The Great White described diversity as an irritant that creates more problems than it solves–even escalating to war throughout human history. How can we reconcile the fact that our differences can be sources of conflict with the deeper truth that diversity ultimately brings us together by showing us what we have in common?

Hank’s appearance and mannerisms led others to make snap judgments about who he was, but he proved himself to be a loyal friend and a strong ally. Have you ever been surprised by the depth of someone’s character after making an initial surface assumption based on their external qualities?

Magnolia’s journey throughout the book is about identity–her name and her physical form didn’t match the truth of who she was, and her culture fought against her desire to inhabit her true identity. Why do you think an individual’s quest to claim their identity can be perceived as a threat by others– and even by society at large?